On March 19, 2020, Hawthorne Hydroponics issued a recall for their Grower’s Edge Vaporizers. According to the recall, number 20-095, the vaporizers can overheat. If the vaporized materials are spilled, they can pose a burn risk. Likewise, if the vaporized materials fall onto a combustible surface, they can pose a fire risk. In addition, the vaporizer also represents an electrical shock risk if a small copper piece at the base of the vaporizer is touched while in use. The recall has affected approximately 60,000 units.
The recall specifically involves both the Deluxe and Commercial models of the Hawthorne Hydroponics Grower’s Edge Vaporizer. The vaporizer is used for hydroponic growing. The affected models of the vaporizers include the following:
- Deluxe Vaporizer – has a yellow, aluminum body with an adjustable vaporizing cup (associated with model number 704050 and UPC 870883005795)
- Commercial Vaporizer – has a stainless-steel plate with an adjustable vaporizing cup (associated with model number 740650 and UPC 870883000608)
The defective products were manufactured in Israel and China; they were sold at Hawthorn Hydroponics dealers around the nation (including indoor and hydroponic specialty gardening stores) as well as online. The defective products were sold from August 2011 to January 2020 from prices ranging from $115 and $140 each.
Hawthorne Hydroponics has allegedly only received eleven reports of overheating or fire – consisting of nine reports relevant to the Deluxe vaporizer and two reports relevant to the Commercial vaporizer. The company claims that there has been just one report of property damage associated to the defective product (not including damage to the product itself). According to the company, no injuries have been reported.
The company is urging consumers to immediately stop using the recalled vaporizers and contact them for a full refund in form of store credit. Should you contact the company for a refund in form of store credit? The answer to this question depends on how you were affected by the recall. If you were simply inconvenienced by the recall, it makes sense to get a refund. However, if you suffered any sort of harm associated with the defective product that resulted in damage or any type of losses, a refund might not be enough. That is, instead of contacting the company for a refund, you should contact a lawyer to help you sue the company for the damages that you are owed.
Depending on the details surrounding the incident that you experienced (including the cause of the incident and the harm suffered), you might have grounds to pursue a lawsuit. Specifically, you might have grounds to pursue a product liability lawsuit against Hawthorne Hydroponics for the damages resulting from the defective product. Can you pursue a claim if you were harmed by a defective product? If you would like to learn more about your right to sue after being affected by a defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm at your earliest convenience.
At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims – including product liability claims. Our lawyers are knowledgeable on product liability law and are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to hold the liable company accountable for their negligent actions. If you would like to further explore the possibility of filing a defective product against Hawthorne Hydroponics or any other company, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm at your earliest convenience.
Understanding the Risks Associated with the Defective Product
As explained above, the defective product represents a number of risks. The defective product represents a burn risk, a fire risk, and even an electric shock risk. Each of these risks is significant. Consider the following points:
- Burn risk: consumers could suffer burns varying in degrees. Although some burns could be minor and require little to no treatment, other burns can be significant and require extended treatment. Some burns can significantly damage layers of the skin (and even muscle and nerves) resulting in permanent scarring, loss of function, and loss of feeling, for example.
- Fire risk: fires can not only lead to the burn risk mentioned above, but also to smoke-related injuries (oxygen deprivation, inhalation of hot fumes/gases, etc.). Fires could also result in significant property damage which could be very expensive to repair.
- Electric shock risk: electric shock can cause significant harm, including burns, internal burns, and nerve damage for example. Depending on the severity of the electric shock, electrocution could affect vision and could even result in cardiac arrest.
Regardless of how you were affected by the defective product, it is important that you know that the harm that was suffered could have been prevented. More specifically, the harm suffered could have been avoided if the company would have ensured that the products were completely safe for use.
Product Liability – You Have the Right to Sue
If you were harmed by a defective product, it is important that you know that you might have grounds to sue based on product liability. What is product liability, and how does it determine your right to sue? Based on the concept of product liability, all companies owe their consumers a duty of care. Specifically, companies have the duty to ensure that their products are completely safe for their consumers to use. When companies fail to ensure the safety of their products, they are breaching their duty of care – and putting their consumers at risk of suffering significant harm. This breach of duty could result in incidents, which can cause harm to innocent consumers. Any time that a consumer suffers harm associated with a defect present in a product, the company could be liable. This means that the consumers who were affected by the defective product could have the right to sue based on product liability. If you would like to learn more about product liability and your right to sue, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience.
Your Right to Monetary Compensation
Depending on the details surrounding the incident and your claim, you might have grounds to recover monetary compensation. It is normal to have many questions about the compensation that might be available for recovery regarding the type and amount of compensation that you could be awarded. Although every claim is different, some of the categories of compensation that you might be eligible to recover could include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Punitive damages
Regardless of the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover, you can be certain that the defective product attorneys at our firm are ready to help you get what you are owed. If you would like to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive, do not hesitate to contact our experts immediately. Our lawyers are ready to aggressively fight for your right to recover the highest among of compensation available for your claim.
Consumers Should Act Appropriately
Although you could be eligible to pursue a product liability claim, failing to act appropriately after being harmed by a defective product could significantly reduce the chances of pursuing a claim and reaching a successful claim outcome. What should you do after being harmed by a defective product? Affected consumers should consider the following recommended steps:
- Seek medical attention for physical injuries immediately (even if you do not believe that your injuries are severe)
- Take photos of any visible injuries
- Take photos of the defective products
- Contact the company to report the defective product and the incident (as well as the harm suffered)
- Do not agree to a free repair, a free replacement, a refund, or to return the defective product
- Speak to witnesses if any were present at the time of the incident
- Gather any surveillance video that might have captured the incident
- Gather all medical records related to the harm suffered due to the defective product
- Gather all records related to the purchase of the recalled product
- Seek legal assistance with a product liability lawyer at your earliest convenience
To learn more about the importance of following the steps listed above, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience. Our product liability lawyers are ready to guide you every step of the way.
The Statute of Limitations
Unfortunately, many consumers lose their right to sue because they fail to take any legal action on time. This is because all claims, including product liability claims, are subject to strict deadlines established by a statute of limitations. If claims are not filed within the time allowed by the statute of limitations, claimants will lose their right to sue. What deadline applies to your claim? In California, product liability claims are typically subject to a two-year statute of limitations, meaning that claimants only have two years to file their claims. To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the statute of limitations that applies to your claim, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience.
Contact Our Product Liability Lawyers Today
If you are considering the possibility of filing a product liability claim against the company that negligently contributed to the harm that you suffered, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience. The lawyers at our firm are dedicated to representing consumers who have been harmed by the negligent actions of companies. If you are in need of legal assistance, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts as soon as possible. The product liability lawyers at Normandie Law Firm are ready to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim and recover the compensation that you are owed.
At Normandie Law Firm, our experts are committed to remaining accessible to all consumers who have been affected by defective products. Our firm offers free legal services, which include free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our defective product attorneys will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns – ensuring that you have access to all the information that you need to pursue your claim and reach a successful claim outcome. If you would like to benefit from our free legal services, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience.
Our firm offers a Zero-Fee guarantee, which ensures that clients will never be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Our firm is also strictly based on contingency; this means that our clients will not be required to pay anything until after reaching a positive claim outcome. If you would like to benefit from our free legal services, do not hesitate to contact our firm as soon as possible.
